Annual general meeting January 2024

Review of the year 2023

Committee

Following elections in January 2023 the Chair resigned in July 2023.  The committee then met to elect two new co-chairs and a new vice chair.  The committee has a treasurer and secretary (the latter resigned in December 2023) who continued in their roles.

Further information: About – Stanwell Moor Residents Association (SMRA).  In August 2023 the committee agreed a revised version of the SMRA Constitution – Stanwell Moor Residents Association.  A new bank account for the SMRA was opened.

In July and September 2023 it held public meetings with council, police and Heathrow representatives present to reset the key issues with residents.

The key aims of the reconstituted committee are:

1. To represent the interests of residents in the borough and County.
2. To promote or deliver activities that support community engagement and the facilities of the village.
3. To promote the Residents Association to the wider community to encourage participation.
4. To work with other organisations, all political parties and individuals that will benefit  the village and its residents.

The key issues the committee set as its focus are:

• Meet and greet car companies parking in the village
• Representing our village to Heathrow Airport
• Private hire cabs parking in the village
• Litter and fly tipping affecting the environment
• Ensuring the rivers and systems work in a flood situation.

Progress on Key aims:

1. Representing interests of residents

The committee attends key groups in the area to represent the interests of the village. These include:

• Heathrow Airport Local Community Forum and related forums
• Spelthorne Borough Council Residents Association Forum
• Staines Commons steering group

2. Promote or deliver activities that support community engagement and the facilities of the village.

On 10 November 2023 the committee organised the village’s first Diwali festival at the village hall  This was a successful event with over 300 people attending from within and outside the village.  The event included snacks, a raffle, a singer, dancing and stalls.

The SMRA supported The Anchor pub on 2nd December with a new Christmas Market in the village. This was a well-attended first event for the village.  Highlights included stalls, piano player, and Father Christmas attending. 

3. Promoting the Residents Association to the wider to the community to encourage participation.

The committee held two public meetings during the year.  A new Street Ambassadors group was set up.  A new website www.stanwellmoor.org was launched in August 2023.  The website has a calendar of future events, posts of activities held including updates from the committee, and local information.  A  new Facebook page was set up to provide regular updates to residents who use the app. The village joined the national Neighbourhood Watch scheme in Autumn 2023.

4. Working with other organisations, all political parties and individuals that will benefit the village and its residents.

On 27 October 2023 SMRA met with Kwasi Kwateng MP to discuss key environmental issues in the village. The meeting was attended by borough and county council representatives, and from Heathrow Airport.  An action plan was put together which the MP is holding representatives to account. Key issues covered include fly tipping, holiday and taxi parking, blocked drains, broken CCTV, and poor condition of bridleways.

Heathrow Rangers and the village’s litter pickers were supported by Spelthorne litter pickers cleaning up in the village with the loan of equipment and attending sessions. Over a hundred bags of litter were collected over the year.

Summary

After a disrupted start to the year the committee refreshed itself and set out an ambitious agenda to raise the profile of the Association in the village and across the councils and Heathrow Airport.  We are now active in promoting our village to key stakeholders and improving the quality of life for residents.